Front-line workers and families say they're being affected by the ongoing health care crisis in Cape Breton.
Retired paramedic Becky Anthony is furious after she says she had to drive her son to Halifax to receive care because there was no room at the island's largest hospital and no ambulances available for transport.
“It was at maximum capacity at the Cape Breton Regional,” Anthony said. “They didn't have an exam room to put him in. He was medicated in the triage room in the ER for possible clot in his liver. They told me it would be at least seven or eight hours before he was able to get an ambulance to transport him to the IWK.”
Dr. Jeanne Ferguson says conditions are starting to become third-world, not first-world when it comes to health care on the island.
And she is calling on the provincial government for more resources.
“Cape Breton health care has fallen off a cliff,” Ferguson said. “We've lost vascular surgery, we've lost our physical medicine specialty, we've lost a huge number of experienced family doctors. We are having tremendous difficulty filling our emergency room spots with emergency physicians.”
NDP health critic Tammy Martin signed a declaration to keep community hospitals in Cape Breton open, and called upon other MLAs on the island today to do the same.
“I believe that it's time we put health care ahead of party politics,” Martin said.
It was part of a press conference organized today by her party.
“They need to pick a side,” she said. “It's health care for Cape Breton, or it's your cabinet position with the Liberal government.”
In June, the Liberals promised new modern clinics for the island, which will replace hospitals in New Waterford and North Sydney. They've also promised to expand ER services at the Cape Breton Regional and at the Glace Bay General.
“We're getting the detailed information from clinicians as part of the functional planning,” said Health Minister Randy Delorey. “So those meetings are taking place, so we expect that work to wrap sometime in the late spring or early summer. And that will help inform the next steps and then things need to go through procurement to get the work done.”
Delorey says those meeting will help determine what steps are next. Still, Ferguson says the situation is dire and they need help now.
“People are dying, that's the bottom line,” Ferguson said. “The only question I have to ask Mr. McNeil: ‘Look, Mr. McNeil, to whom much is given, much will be required. You are in charge here. How many lives is it going to take?’”
The president of Nova Scotia's paramedic union says he's worried there could be an exodus of paramedics leaving the province because of stress and demand. He said he's been speaking to more than 50, who have expressed going elsewhere.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.
